Rash of car break-ins hit San Marco, Sans Souci, Englewood areas

They're happening at some of Jacksonville's priciest real estate. San Marco streets are being riddled with car break-ins, as are those in the Sans Souci and Englewood areas.

"All the sudden they go to grab something and it's not there," San Marco resident Didierl Busnot said. "And the door's open, it's ajar, and you can't figure out why. That's because someone's been in there."

Busnot lives in the area and owns a local seafood market. He's also working to keep criminals out of his community.

"I'm the top dog I guess for the neighborhood crime watch on my street," he said.

Busnot said his home and his car have been broken into over the years.

"They were in and out. It was late at night, probably between 3 and 4 in the morning," he said. "It's happened to other people that are in our street."

A crime map from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office shows reports popping up all over the historic neighborhood. And police have caught wind. An officer sent an email to residents warning them of what he called a rash of auto burglaries. The officer said most of cars involved were left unlocked.

"I'm going to check the door handles to see if the car is locked. If it's unlocked I'm going to open it," Channel 4 crime analyst Ken Jefferson said on the mindset of a car burglar.

He said it's so simple to take the extra few seconds to lock every door and don't entice the crooks.

"We've got what looks to be a planner," he said. "It could be something with money in it, valuable info, could be something with credit cards in it."

Jefferson said if you hide your stuff and lock your doors, you'll probably get passed up by the bad guys.

"If it's locked and there's nothing in it, I probably won't bother this car," he said.

Among the streets where car burglaries were reported in the Sans Souci and Englewood areas were Ilene Drive, Welaka, Sam and Randy roads, and Lou Court.

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